1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a radiation image recording apparatus, and more particularly to a radiation image recording apparatus for recording a radiation image of an object on a recording medium sheet such as an X-ray film or a stimulable phosphor sheet in which the recording position is movable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has been known a standing position type radiation image recording apparatus in which a recording table unit is supported to be movable up and down and to be located at a desired height, and in which a recording medium holder such as a cassette or a magazine loaded with a recording medium sheet is manually set in and taken out from the recording table unit. The known radiation image recording apparatus in which the recording medium holder is manually set in the recording table unit before recording and is manually taken out therefrom after recording is not suitable for continuous recording.
There has been proposed a radiation image recording apparatus suitable for continuous recording in which a pair of stationary transfer means are fixedly provided spaced from each other, and a recording table unit is provided to be movable between the pair of stationary transfer means so that a new recording medium sheet is fed to the recording table unit by way of one of the pair of stationary transfer means and an exposed recording medium sheet is discharged from the recording table unit by way of the other stationary transfer means. A receiving transfer means is provided at the entrance of the recording table unit to positively receive the recording medium sheet from said one stationary transfer means and to introduce the recording medium sheet into the recording table unit, and a delivery transfer means is provided at the exit of the recording table unit to deliver the recording medium sheet to said the other stationary transfer means.
In this radiation image recording apparatus, a new recording medium sheet is automatically introduced into the recording table unit by way of said one of the pair of stationary transfer means while the exposed recording medium sheet is automatically discharged to said the other transfer means, and thus continuous recording can be accomplished.
However, in order to successfully transfer the recording medium sheet between the recording table unit and the stationary transfer means without possibility of damage to the recording medium sheet, it is preferred that the recording medium sheet is transferred therebetween while being constantly held by at least one of the stationary transfer means and the receiving transfer means or the delivery transfer means. This requires that the space between said one stationary transfer means and the receiving transfer means and the space between said the other stationary transfer means and the delivery transfer means be kept smaller than the length of the recording medium sheet. Therefore, the recording table unit cannot be movable over a distance larger than the length of the recording medium sheet, and accordingly the recording table unit cannot be moved to a position suitable for recording a part of the object depending on the position of the part.